Defense: Hollow
by SilverFlameoftheWindScar
Summary: Isshin, the Shinigami, and now they're being threatened by Hollows. These Hollows aren't the norm though, and the hybrid is going to have to become what the adjective entails. IchiHichi


Defense: Hollow

One-shot

DISCLAIMER: As with the two before it, if it's different, it's mine. Akuji's name, most of this idea, etc… Yeah, that's mine. Uryu has his Quincy powers. (It's AU, people. What do you expect?)

First, it was Isshin, then the Shinigami, now it's the Hollow segment. READ ON MY FAITHFUL FOLLOWERS! …eh… I had a bit of a Sauron moment there… Maybe it's an Aizen moment…

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Running out of the school, Ichigo and Renji ran to the bushes beside it. Using the amulet, Ichigo's soul and body were separated. He could see that Renji was having a hard time, and slapped the trinket to the Lieutenant's forehead. As they dashed across the school grounds, he had the feeling he was being watched and, when he looked to the window, he could see Orihime, Chad, and Uryu. What surprised him were the two standing beside them: Tatsuki and… _Keigo?!_

Those thoughts were pushed from his mind when one of the five, normal-sized Hollows caught him off guard and stabbed its claw through his shoulder. _"These are way outta your league, Ichigo! If there were two, you'd be able to handle 'em! Let me take over!"_

_"I don't want you to get hurt,"_ Ichigo replied to his inner Hollow, crying out when the claw was ripped from his body. _At least it wasn't that White Lightning of Byakuya's…_ he thought, pulling Zangetsu from his back and blocking the next attack. _"Why are they normal-looking, yet so strong?"_

_"Because these aren't normal Hollows, Ichigo. They're Vasto Lords. Hitsugaya knows about them so ask him for information. Let me take over, Ichigo, or you _and_ the pineapple are gonna die!"_ Ichigo blocked another swipe from his enemy, but a second Vasto Lord slashed deeply into his stomach before kicking him away. _"Ichigo!"_ He could hear Akuji mumbling obscene things under his breath before his vision started to close on him like an elevator door.

_"No! Akuji! Don't…"_ his last protest trailed off as his consciousness was forced into his inner mind. He slowly opened his eyes as he slouched forward. "I can't even protect Akuji…" he whispered sadly.

"Ichigo… Do not give up on yourself just yet. In this battle, a great many things will come to fruition." The human looked up as he heard Zangetsu's voice. "If you _and_ Akuji hope to win this, you will have to work together on an entire other scale. You are sharing each other's power. You must combine them, Ichigo. Only you can because you are the ruling power. Also, you will need something else."

"How do you know all of this, Zangetsu?" Ichigo asked.

"I am ageless, Ichigo. I know you, your older self, and your younger self." Zangetsu's answer made the teen's eyes widen largely, but the Zanpaktou had no time to waste. "Ichigo, we must hurry. It is happening. You will need Bankai for this battle. I need you to fully trust me, Ichigo."

"Of course I do, Zangetsu. If I can't trust you, who can I trust?" The pole-perched man nodded before the blade Ichigo wielded appeared in his hand. The blade was leveled, tip pointing at his heart. He had to admit, he was slightly afraid of what Zangetsu was going to do.

"Do not doubt me, Ichigo. Close your eyes and leave your mind clear," Zangetsu instructed and Ichigo did so, subconsciously lifting his arms to shoulder-height and out to his sides. The man who represented his Zanpaktou smiled, knowing Ichigo submitted himself completely with that action.

A few moments later, pain exploded in Ichigo's chest. He tasted blood in his mouth and, as he staggered backwards, he felt it leak from the sides of his mouth and down his chin. When he felt his life fading, a burst of calm washed over him from the sword in his body.

"Ichigo…with this, your Bankai will never fade and be able to handle the power flows that will go through it." Zangetsu stepped over to him and, with his palm on the bottom of the hilt, pressed the blade into Ichigo's chest. "Now, you must contact Akuji and help him in the way that feels most natural to you." After that, the man vanished.

"Thank you…Zangetsu," the teen whispered with a smile, knowing his Zanpaktou had heard him. _"Akuji! Are you all right?!"_

_"No! I-"_ A scream ripped through their mindlink, sending pain through Ichigo's head. _"The Hollow Mask…keeps forming…can't stop it… Vasto did something…"_

_"Hold on, Akuji!"_ The Shinigami half of the duo concentrated on their mindlink before finding himself in immense pain. _"Aku…ji… Find…me…"_

_"What are…you doing?!"_ Akuji shouted at him before feeling like Ichigo was getting farther away from him. _"Damn it…"_ he tried to align their thoughts, but couldn't. _"Ichi…go… I can't…"_ He suddenly felt warm, as if Ichigo were holding him tightly. _He is,_ he realized before relaxing. He knew that only their essences were inhabiting their body, but it still felt as if their bodies were there as well.

On the outside, the five Vasto Lords had a claw, each, pierced into the teen's body. A scream of utter agony was echoing endlessly from his throat as the Hollow Mask kept forming. The students watching from the classroom were completely immobile as they watched their classmate suffer. Renji was trying to lift himself from the ground as blood spilled from his wounds.

All of a sudden, the scream stopped. The Hollows were blown back by a blast of reiatsu and a dust cloud was formed and held around the Shinigami/Hollow hybrid. Blackish purple light shown through before the cloud was blown away. Where the cloud had been was an unrecognizable person with two swords, one in each hand. Orange hair had white streaks and highlights while brown eyes became golden.

_We are finally one,_ Ichigo and Akuji thought as they looked down at their body. It held the same physique, but their clothing was formfitting where before it had been gaudily baggy. It was a mix of black and white with, odd though it was, red. The sleeves were a blood red which became black in the middle of the torso with white seams. The pants were red, black, and white to match the shirt which was more of a jacket with the long sleeves. "Pretty nice," he complimented, voice echoing slightly, also noticing that his skin was a paler tan.

"Ichigo?" Renji questioned as he finally came to his feet. He stared at the two blades in the teen's hands. The one on the right was Ichigo's normal one while the other was white with a black blade and black hilt wrap; mirror opposites. He stumbled over to the hybrid, using Zabimaru to hold himself up. "Ichigo?"

_Eh…that name won't suffice,_ he thought. "You're a mess," he said to Renji with a chuckle. He then decided that if Ichigo and Akuji became one, then he was one person. "By the way, call me Duex. I'm not Ichigo. I'm not Akuji. I'm both of them," he explained while settling both Zangetsu in the ground for them to stand. "Here. You're gonna to fall." He took hold of Renji to steady him before flash-stepping to the bench and lying him down on it.

"Ich-Duex," Renji corrected himself quickly, "Do you want me to call Captain Hitsugaya?"

"Nah. I don't wanna pull him or his patrol party into this," Duex replied. "Stay here and don't go moving around 'til I'm done," he ordered with a glare. Renji shrunk back, quickly laying himself down on the bench. After that, he watched as the hybrid went at the Vasto Lords. A blue streak of such creativity that Renji just _knew_ it wasn't from _only_ Ichigo spewed forth from Duex's mouth. He heard one word that surprised him completely. "BANKAI!"

_I thought you couldn't use Bankai!_ the redheaded man shouted in his mind. But he was proven wrong when the black-purple reiatsu kicked up another dust cloud. _He's fond of those,_ Renji thought to himself as he looked at the newest addition to Duex. The coat which came with the Bankai form was oddly pieced with black, white, and red that he thought only Duex could've pulled it off.

It was, again, mainly red, but had white streaks through it while shinning black whenever struck by light. The two Zangetsu had changed as well. The sword on the right was the same but had a white hand guard with a white chain. The left had a black hand guard while the diamond shapes on the hilt were red (like the black Zangetsu) with a black chain. Duex released the white Zangetsu before slipping his finger through the last link of the chain and spinning it beside him while keeping a relaxed yet firm grip on the black one.

_He's combined their styles,_ Renji thought before seeing long orange-red hair in his vision. "Wha? Orihime?"

"Of course," she answered with her innocent smile as she summoned her fairies to heal the wounded Shinigami. "Is that Ichigo?" she asked, receiving a nod.

"But he calls himself Duex," Renji added as four other people joined Orihime. _The big one is…Chad. The blue-haired one is the Quincy. I don't know the other two._

"This is Tatsuki, my best friend in the world. And this is Keigo, one of Ichigo's friends," she introduced. "As you know, he's Chad and he's Uryu."

"Is that…_really_…Ichigo?" Keigo asked, being serious for once. Getting an affirmative answer, he could only watch in stunned fascination as his friend attacked the five Vasto Lords. _Make that four_, he corrected when one had been vaporized.

"Where is your Gigai and Ichigo's body?" Uryu asked, pushing his glasses up on his face.

"They're in the…bushes…" Renji's sentence trailed off as a blast came too close to aforementioned bodies. "At this rate, they're gonna be destroyed!" He was about to get up, but Tatsuki smacked his head. "What was that for?"

"Ichigo…Duex…whoever he is told you to stay here while he fought. You'll stay here," she answered sternly as Chad ran across the grounds. He dodged the blasts that came from the now three Vasto Lords, found the two soulless bodies, and ran back over to everyone. "Geez, Chad…just how strong are you?" Tatsuki asked him as he lay the two bodies over his shoulders on the ground.

"I don't know," he answered with a slight smile. He turned back to the battle and asked, "Do you think he'll be all right?"

"Well, knowing that he has Ichigo's stubbornness and Akuji's love of fighting… Yeah, he'll be fine," Renji answered, sitting up after Orihime finished healing him. "Thanks, Orihime."

"Who is this…Akuji?" Uryu asked, his eyes focused in a glare at Renji, who smacked a hand over his mouth. "Well? You've peaked my interest."

"Eh…heh, heh…um… That's confidential…" the Shinigami stuttered, trying to mold into the bench when the Quincy's glare intensified. "Ichigo's gonna kill me just for mentioning him! Besides, it's not _my_ secret to tell!"

"Damn straight!" a voice that echoed slightly yelled, coming from the fuming Duex as he stormed over to the bench. "Why not ask _me_ your questions, you over-inquisitive Quincy?!"

Uryu shrugged before turning to him and repeating, "Who is this Akuji?"

Duex glared at him before saying, "Ichigo's Hollow half." That was all he said and, if the gaping wound in his chest was any indication, that was all he was going to say. Orihime, he could tell, was getting ready to heal him, but he stopped her. "You can't heal me that way, only the originals…only Ichigo and Akuji. I'll have to heal myself or the two will have to split," he explained before concentrating. _Dammit… Need some help here!_ Duex shouted in his head before feeling himself start to fade.

Ichigo and Akuji stood there for a moment before the Hollow reached over to smack his other. "Why the hell won't you _ever_ let me help?!" he exclaimed as the Shinigami fell against him, bleeding profusely from his chest, shoulder, stomach, and the five wounds inflicted by the Vasto Lords when they tried to change Akuji.

"S'rry…don' want you gettin' 'urt…" Ichigo answered weakly.

Akuji growled at him before lifting the teenage soul and placing him in his body. "Damn you, Ichigo…" he mumbled as the wounds transferred. "Oi! Orihime! You can heal him now," he said to the girl, who promptly called on her Shun-Shun Rikka. After about ten minutes, his wounds were nearly closed. "Thanks, Orihime…"

"It's no problem…um…Akuji, right?" she replied and received a nod. "I'd suggest you take him home though."

"I'm planning to, but I'll need help. I don't think it's normal for someone to be floating…" Akuji admitted, sighing.

"Just use the alleyways," Tatsuki said as she and Orihime went back inside the school, followed by Uryu, after Ichigo's wounds were healed.

"Ichigo usually uses them when he wants a fight," Keigo said to them. "I can lead you safely through all the shortcuts," he added and stood. "What about you, Chad?"

"I'm coming with you. If someone wants to fight, then I'll use my fists for Ichigo." His answer held meaning between Ichigo and himself. "Akuji…" The Hollow looked up and nodded, promising that he'd take care of the orange-haired teen to the best of his abilities.

Akuji lifted his Shinigami half in his arms, smiling a little when the teen leaned toward him. About half an hour later, they were walking into the Kurosaki clinic. Chad had a couple of scrapes, but the guys who jumped them had more either from Chad himself or Akuji's invisible feet. "That was fun," the Hollow commented as he ran up the stairs to Ichigo's room.

"Fun for _you_ maybe," Keigo replied in a grumble, nursing the lump on his head. He sat at his friend's desk chair as Chad leaned against the wall.

Akuji settled Ichigo on the bed before sitting beside him, brushing his fingers through the teen's attention-drawing hair. "I'll be right back," the pale-skinned teenager said then vanished. "Ichigo?" he asked to the inner world.

"I'm here…" was coughed out somewhere to his left. Akuji followed in that direction and nearly fainted from shock when he saw the condition his other was in. "Yeah…I'm a little roughed up…"

"Why? What happened?!" Akuji exclaimed as he kneeled beside the cut, bruised, and beat-up Shinigami.

"I think it was…when we became Duex…" he trailed off as he gasped in pain, wrapping an arm around his chest as he coughed, blood dripping to the surface under them from his mouth. The Hollow hugged the teen close to him gently as Ichigo assured, "I'll be fine, Akuji… Don't get stressed over me…" He tilted his head back, catching Akuji's mouth with his own.

"Ichigo…can I help you heal?" the pale one asked.

"Just…focus on it…with all your mind… After all, half of this…it's yours," Ichigo answered between gasps for air. Akuji nodded before closing his eyes. Their thoughts aligned, creating a force to be reckoned with inside the inner world. "Thank you, Akuji."

"Anytime, Ichigo," the Hollow replied before they both vanished from the sideways buildings and vertical skies. Ichigo's eyes opened as Akuji appeared beside him. "Welcome back to the realm of the living," he said softly as he brushed his hand through the teen's orange hair.

"What _was_ that?" Keigo asked suddenly, causing Ichigo to sit up straight in surprise. The room spun around the Shinigami and he buried his face in his Hollow's shoulder with a groan. "Sheesh…sorry I asked!" the Karakura High student huffed, crossing his arms.

"No, it's not that… my head's spinning and I feel like I'm going to puke…" Ichigo replied, taking deep breaths to try to calm his rolling stomach and lessen the pounding in his head. An arm was circled around him and claws expertly trailed up and down his spine.

"It's called 'blood loss,' Ichigo," Akuji stated with a bit of his sarcastic tone. Ichigo mumbled something against his shoulder. "Uh…say what?"

"I said, 'asshole.'" Leaning over a bit farther, he placed his forehead against the cool skin of Akuji's neck. "Feels good…" he mumbled with a slight smile.

"Duh! You're burning up!" the other replied before looking between Keigo and Chad then looked at the half-Mexican. "Find his dad and tell him what happened, Chad. Keigo, I want you to get anything that can help keep him cool." After nodding, the two left the room. "Ichigo, I need you to lie back down. My neck can only cool your head so much."

"I know…but I don't feel like it…" he half-spoke, half-whispered. His brow furrowed more than usual when the Hollow lay him back down. Akuji leaned over, kissing him softly. "'Least I still got…half a mind to kiss ya," he murmured with a funny grin on his face.

_Now he's delusional…wonderful,_ Akuji thought to himself before leaning beside Ichigo's ear to whisper, "Cooperate and I promise more later." The goofy grin widened before slipping from his face completely as he groaned, shifting slightly. He whimpered as he jerked to his right, rolling onto his side and burying his face in a cool part of his pillow. "Aibou…"

The teen rolled again, laying on his stomach after shifting about. "I feel like…like I can't breathe…" he forced through his dry throat. Akuji leaned over and placed his cool hand on the back of the burning fifteen-year-old's neck. Ichigo leaned into the touch with a bit of a contented sigh. "…Love you, Akuji…" he mumbled through a small smile.

The Hollow sat there, shocked for a few moments as his hand went still. After a few more seconds, Akuji smiled with a small chuckle and said, "I love you, too…" Ichigo smiled a bit wider before slipping into fever-induced unconsciousness. After he did, Isshin came into the room with Keigo and Chad in tow. "I don't know why he's sick and it wasn't me, so don't start with the accusations."

Isshin held his hands up and said, "I wasn't going to." He pulled a thermometer out of his coat pocket and cleaned it off with a disinfectant wipe. "I need you to flip him over for me," he said to Akuji, who did so, and carefully slipped the temperature device in his son's mouth. After waiting for about a minute and a half, he pulled it back out. "One-ten!" he shouted. "He's going to cook to death!" He took the bowl of ice and the dish cloth that Keigo was holding and, after wrapping a few pieces of ice in it, handed the rag to Akuji. "Keep that on his face and neck. I'll be right back."

The Hollow stared at his Shinigami's face as he shifted the icy cloth over feverish skin. "Come on, aibou… You can fight this… After all, we beat five Vasto Lords, right?" he encouraged to the teen.

_"Only 'cause…you were…with me…"_

_"I'm here with you now, Ichigo… I'm right here, trying to help you again,"_ Akuji replied, slightly biting his lip as he placed the cloth on the human Shinigami's neck and his hand on Ichigo's forehead. "Can you feel my hand, Ichigo?" he asked quietly.

_"Yeah…it's cool…not like…my neck…"_

"Can you wake up for me?" A mental groan was his answer. "You need to wake up, Ichigo, if you're able… Your dad's gonna have a bitch fit in a minute," Akuji said and got a weak smile as Ichigo's eyes fluttered. "That's it…come on, Ichigo…" He leaned over the teen, throwing caution out the window, and kissed him softly. After the liplock was broken, a few seconds passed before Ichigo's eyes slowly opened, earning a smile from his Hollow.

"Still wanna…pass out…" he mumbled, looking at his friends and family, ignoring their odd looks from Akuji kissing him. "Don' do…tricks… Stop starin'…"

_"We should give them something to _really_ stare at,"_ Akuji remarked as he started running his hand through his Shinigami's hair.

_"What'd ya have in mind?"_ Ichigo asked with a small grin curving his lips. The Hollow kissed the teen again as he vanished, seeming to disappear into the human. "Bastard!" he tried to yell, an odd feeling ripping through his body causing him to shift jerkily, before finding himself in his inner world. "What the hell was that!?"

"You said to give them a show," Akuji said with a smirk as his eyes became golden. "Besides, I had to pull you in here. Zangetsu wants a few words with us," he added at the human's glare.

"He is very correct," Zangetsu said from in front of them. "I must inform you that you can now form together into Duex without the wounds afterwards but, by being able to do so, when you become him again, he will have the injuries because of being unable to heal them. _Only_ Duex can heal himself."

"That's a bit of a…burden," Akuji mumbled. "Anything else about it?" he asked.

"Yes…this malady that has befallen you, Ichigo… It can only be cured if you and Akuji form into Duex in your human body. And," he held up his hand to stall the teen's questions, "It is very possible. If you form into him in Soul Form, then your body will take his characteristics, proving that it is _he_ who is in it at that time. Akuji could do this as well, but I trust him enough not to do it without your consent, which is the sole reason I am telling him." Zangetsu focused an Evil Eye on Akuji, making the Hollow sweat-drop.

"I'd never betray my aibou's trust like that! You're making me out to be some kind of crook, old man!" Akuji fumed, shaking his fist at the Zanpaktou. He stopped his unintelligible grumbling when Ichigo's left arm slipped around him. "You believe me, right?"

"How could I not? You denied that quite vehemently, after all," the human replied with a small smile. "Well…how do we do this?" he directed to Zangetsu.

"The same as always, Ichigo." After that, the Zanpaktou disappeared.

"Heh…just focus on it. He seems to think everything can be accomplished just by concentrating," Akuji joked as he turned toward Ichigo. "Lets do it, aibou." The Shinigami nodded before the two, again, aligned their minds. In the inner world, they became Duex.

"I suppose I just…pop out there, right?" he asked himself before shrugging and vanishing. "Hey, old man!" he greeted Isshin with a grin. "Uh…ask your questions in a moment, would you? I've got a job to do," he added, cutting the doctor off. He then stared at Ichigo's body with a puzzled face. "How am I supposed to do this again?" he mumbled before leaning over to touch the teen's face. "Eh…we'll just try…_this_." The hybrid disappeared, then Ichigo's body started changing to look like him, though the clothing stayed the same. "Ah…that was wild…"

"How did you…? Who are you…? What did you do?!" Isshin shouted, throwing his hands all over the place as he talked.

"Um…I concentrated. Name's Duex. I united my soul with his body. Since I'm basically Ichigo as a whole, his body accepted me without a fuss for this being the first time. Now, it'd probably give Akuji quite a fight, but not after that because he's half of Ichigo's soul… Eh…did you get any of that?" Duex asked as he scratched his head with a sweat drop sliding from his temple.

"Good enough. Can you help my son?" Isshin asked and received a nod with a smile before Duex closed his eyes. Even in a human body, Duex's dark purple reiatsu flared. The feverish tint in Ichigo's skin faded after a few minutes. "Thank you so much… I'm indebted to you."

"Heh, just keep the secret of my existence from anyone you don't trust, and I'll count it fulfilled. You two, as well," he said, adding the last part to Keigo and Chad. "Ah man, I'm still tired… Stupid Vasto Lords…" Duex yawned widely, stretching before falling back onto the bed. "I'm gonna go to sleep. If you wanna stand there, be my guest, just don't stare at me if I snore."

Keigo laughed a little. "Just get Ichigo to tell me why I can see spirits, and I'll leave you be," he compromised.

"Will do. See ya." Duex rolled over and instantly fell into a contented sleep.

"That was interesting," Isshin said after the three males left the room to go down the stairs.

"Honor his wishes, Mr. Kurosaki. If they were your own, a soul would never find out from him even under torture," Chad said, causing Isshin to wonder just exactly what his son _had_ been through. "He is very strong… His will to live is even greater than his reiatsu; I believe, at least, twice over." The Kurosaki father smiled as they sat at the table.

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It was the next day before Duex awakened from his self-induced coma. Again, he yawned widely with an impossible stretch. Feeling like his body had been extended two feet, Duex stumbled toward the bathroom to shower before the school day. _Maybe I can give Ichigo and Akuji a break if I take over for a day. Those two need it,_ he thought, feeling both of their consent even though they were him.

"Ichigo! Breakfast is getting cold and you're going to be late!" a voice shouted from the ground floor as he came down the stairs, food being the only thing lacking from the start of what was turning out to be a good day. "Ichi- …You're not Ichigo!" a brown-haired girl he recognized as Yuzu said, pointing a wooden spoon at him.

"Eh…I am, but I'm not. Name's Duex… Ask your dad for an explanation. Same for you, Karin," he said, adding the last part as he caught the girl's foot, which was flying at his face. "You've got potential…and a _lot_ of spirit… Urahara would be able to help you," he mentioned before stealing a couple pieces of toast, a glass of juice, and dodging Isshin. As he finished eating, he rinsed out the glass before grabbing Ichigo's school bag. "Now…let's see if I can… Ah ha!"

"What are you…nevermind," Isshin was about to ask before Duex looked exactly like Ichigo, though his eyes were a little more golden than Ichigo's normal brown ones. "You'll have to respond to what Ichigo normally would today, or people will get suspicious."

"Heh, I think everyone's suspicious of Ichigo, so me not listening to anyone who calls his name really would be normal," Duex replied before leaving toward the school.

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End of the third segment of Defense. I'm getting ready to work on the next one and I've got a killer idea for it. I think it's also going to be _quite_ hilarious!

Now, if you don't mind, click that little purple button and leave me a review. XD


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